Law enforcement departments throughout the Arkansas River Valley encourage residents to be safe during the New Year’s holiday.

In an effort to prevent drinking and driving, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is offering its annual free ride home event. The program, which began Monday and will run through 4 a.m. Wednesday morning, allows Johnson County residents a safe alternative to driving drunk.

“If they find themselves at a club or a party and they’ve had too much to drink they can call us and we’ll take them home,” Johnson County Sheriff Jimmy Dorney said.

Dorney said the department has an auxiliary force that assists with the program. Officers will not take residents from one party to another, but will strictly provide rides home.

In Russellville, officers will be increasing patrols and setting up small, mobile checkpoints to ensure the safety of residents.

“We want everybody to have a happy New Year’s,” Russellville Police Department Public Information Officer Drew Latch said. “With that being said, we will have law enforcement out that will be looking for impaired drivers.”

Latch said the department will set up sporadic small checkpoints than can be easily moved instead of larger, fixed checkpoints.

In addition to checking for impaired drivers, officers will also check for compliance with Act 811, which prohibits smoking in a vehicle with children under the age of 14.

“Whenever we do these mobilized and small safety checkpoints, we’re doing it not for the inconvenience of the public, but for the safety — and in that, we think that Act 811 will be a good implementation during these checkpoints,” Latch said.

Although it is a really bad choice to smoke inside your car with the kid(s) in there, it is even worse for the state legislature to pass an Act that makes it subject to penalty under law to do so. Even worse, now we waste a bunch of time and money having officers check for compliance with this ludicrous regulation. Exactly how is the officer supposed to check if the child is over or under 14? Papers! I do not smoke, but it is up to every adult whether or not to smoke in his/her own car. Whatever, sounds like another money maker for the state.